NC high school star known for his basketball prowess is having tremendous football season

Mari Adams has a bit of an identity crisis.

Is he the 6-foot point guard who carried Crest High to the 3A boys’ basketball regional finals last spring?

Or is he the running back who rushed for 189 yards last week in a big victory over South Point and has gained more than 900 yards in five games this fall?

“It’s both,” Adams says with a smile. “But it definitely includes football. I’m not sure if everyone knew that before.”

Adams and the Chargers (4-1) have a big test Friday night, traveling to Shelby (5-1) in a renewal of a Cleveland County rivalry that is among the state’s best.

Prior to this season, Mari Adams was known to most prep sports followers as an outstanding basketball player.

He seemed to do it all last season for a Crest team that finished 16-2, losing to eventual state champion Weddington in the West finals. Adams averaged 18.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.4 steals per game.

“I grew up with a basketball in my hand,” he says. “That was my first sport.”

He says he began playing competitive basketball as a 4-year-old. Football came later, when he was 8 or 9.

“I never thought I was very good at football,” Adams says. “I mean, I enjoyed playing it, but basketball was my focus.”

On a recruiting service profile, Adams wrote, “I can’t imagine life without basketball.”

But over the past few years, friends kept encouraging him to give football a try.

“People told me they thought I’d be good at it,” he says.

After basketball season ended in early March, Adams gave football a try. He saw some playing time in the COVID-delayed spring season, carrying 26 times for 126 yards. It was nothing spectacular, but Adams says he was learning.

“I kept at it,” he says. “I practiced every day, learning to read the holes.”

By the time the 2021 fall season started, Adams was Crest’s starting running back. The season got off to a mixed start. Adams rushed for more than 100 yards and a touchdown in the opener against another Cleveland County rival, Burns, but he was stripped of the ball late in the game, setting up Burns’ winning touchdown in a 21-20 game.

“I wish we could have that Burns game back,” Adams says. “But we have to move on. Facing Shelby will be a huge task. It’s for a lot of bragging rights around here.”

Crest head coach Nick Eddins says Adams is a big part of the Chargers’ offense.

“That guy right there,” Eddins says, pointing to Adams. “He can make a big difference in a game.”

Adams took over the game last Friday in the 27-26 squeaker over South Point.

With his team behind 26-21 with six minutes to play, Adams had back-to-back runs of 31 and 33 yards. The second of those was for the game-winning touchdown with 4:09 remaining.

“We were able to come back, and I was happy to do my share,” Adams says. “But we have to do a better job in the first and second quarters of games. We have a lot of games left, and we’ve got to get off to a better start.”

Adams says he wants to a college athletic career but doesn’t know yet if it will be in football or basketball. He is being recruited by schools in both sports.

“No idea,” he says with a smile. “I’ll see whatever happens.”

One thing he is certain of: Anyone who thinks he’s just a basketball player is mistaken.

“I hear that from time to time,” he says. “All that does is fuel me.”

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle